The Year in Movies: 1976

  1976

Number of Movies I've Seen: 7

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  2

Oscar Winner:
Rocky - This is a classic example of "just because a movie is first doesn't mean it's the best". It isn't the best boxing movie (The Fighter), Stallone movie (Creed), underdog movie (Hoosiers), or even the best movie about competitive fighting directed by John G. Avildsen (The Karate Kid). However, it was first, and I think its pretty cool that an underdog movie like this about an underdog boxer was able to take down all of the heavyweights on Hollywood's biggest night.

Box Office Winner:
Rocky 

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. Network - This pick was so close. The top two movies of this year were straining with all their might to warn the next generation of the coming problems with media and politics. Too bad we didn't listen very well. The climax of this movie ("I'm as mad as hell....") ranks among the most emotionally charged moments in cinema history. 

3. Silent Movie - Mid-tier Mel Brooks is still gold. Having Marcel Marceau speak the only words in an otherwise silent film is a stroke of brave genius.

4. Rocky 

5. Taxi Driver - I'll keep saying it because it keeps being true: Martin Scorcese makes perfect movies about people I don't care about. Maybe I need to revisit Travis Bickle as an almost-middle-aged man, but I got very little out of this one with one viewing a decade or so ago.

6. The Twelve Tasks of Asterix - Fun little French take on Looney Tunes-esque comic adventure. I can see why people dig this stuff.

6. Logan's Run - Great concept ruined by downright boring '70s era sci-fi "artsiness".

Best of the Year: 1966 - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

 

I'm a sucker for feature length family arguments. Carnage, Before Midnight, Tape, Marriage Story, August Osage County. I'm not sure what that says about me, but this one is most definitely the granddaddy of this strange subgenre. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were the most famous couple in Hollywood (possibly the world) in 1966 and their passion was on full display here. This movie is spectacular. Mike Nichols directs a near-perfect script and creates one of the toughest to watch, timeless, heartbreaking, and shocking films of all time.

The Year in Movies: 1966

  1966

Number of Movies I've Seen: 5

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  0

Oscar Winner:
A Man for All Seasons - Definitely going to catch this the next time it swings through TCM.

Box Office Winner:
The Bible: In the Beginning - .A film adaptation of the first 22 chapters of the book of Genesis... Pretty sure I'm good skipping this one.

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. Persona - My first Ingmar Bergman. I am torn between "I need to see MORE!" and "I guess Bergman just isn't for me."

3. Batman - Say what you will, but this was the first comic book feature film that acted like a real movie (previous big-screen superheroes took the form of multi-part serials). As much as I love "silly" Batman, Adam West and company definitely lumped all things comic book into their immature category for nearly a half century.

4. The Fantastic Voyage - Super campy sci-fi adventure inside the human body. Fun, sure, but Osmosis Jones would do it so much better 30 years later!

5. The Endless Summer - Surfing. Narration. More surfing. Quite relaxing...

Best of the Year: 1956 - Forbidden Planet

 

Leslie Nielsen, Anne Francis, a robot, Shakespeare's Tempest, and the birth of nearly every hard sci-fi property (from Lost in Space to Star Trek). What more do you want? This movie may look like a "B-movie" because of its style and effects, but its influence is as important as any from the era.

The Year in Movies: 1956

  1956

Number of Movies I've Seen: 4

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  0

Oscar Winner:
Around the World in 80 Days - I promise... I'll catch this on TCM one day. I just don't have much desire to seek it out. Everything I've heard says its harmless fun... 3 hours... of harmless fun... :-|

Box Office Winner:
The Ten Commandments - I probably need a rewatch on this one. I know I've seen it a handful of times because it was required Passover season viewing in my Southern Baptist household. 

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. Giant - (PICTURED ABOVE) I'm always amazed at the movies they were making nearly 3/4 century ago. Half the movies on this post are more than three hours! This is a multigenerational epic about a Texas cattle rancher and his extended family and friends. If Giant were made today, it would be a 8 episode miniseries. I'm not sure if that would be for the better or not as I'm still getting used to these "movie-like" one-shot series (like Russian Doll and The Queen's Gambit), but I digress. This movie is a bloated, messy masterpiece. James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, and Rock Hudson are all allowed to play gleefully in the cinematic sandbox created for them by journeyman filmmaker George Stevens. Everybody knows who James Dean is because of his iconic image, but so few people have actually seen any of his three films. I know most people prefer Rebel Without a Cause, but despite its length, I recommend this one as a good place to start instead.

3. The Ten Commandments 

4. The Searchers - This movie is beautiful.... It isn't beautiful to overcome its misogyny, xenophobia, and lack of any joy. We cannot advance as a film-loving society until we stop listing this one among the greatest films of any era....

Best of the Year: 1946 - It's A Wonderful Life

 Better. Every. Time. On the short list of movies I can watch at the drop of a hat. The greatest Christmas movie ever not because it embodies the holiday but because it embodies the message of Jesus Christ.

I wrote pretty extensively about this one in 2010.

The Year in Movies: 1946

 1946

Number of Movies I've Seen: 5

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  4!

Oscar Winner:
The Best Years of Our Lives - Whew... this year is full of bangers! I should probably watch more! It was actually pretty difficult ranking my top 3. All of them are worthy being crowned "best of the year". The only reason this one ranks a bit behind the other two is the lack of a real personal connection for me. I fully believe if I was born a generation or two earlier, this would be my favorite of the year.

Box Office Winner:
The Best Years of Our Lives 

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. The Big Sleep - It's hard to explain how much I love this movie. Nearly as hard as it is to explain the plot of this movie. Quite possibly the coolest movie ever made.

3. The Best Years of Our Lives 

4. A Night in Casablanca - The Marx Brothers last "Marx Brothers" film. It's a very loose spoof of Casablanca. One of the brother's weaker films, but that still makes it side-splittingly funny!

5. Duel in the Sun - Racist garbage that I always get confused with A Place in the Sun which is actually a good movie. 

Best of the Year: 1936 - Modern Times

 

As you may have guessed by reading this blog, I am not a huge fan of Chaplin. However, I truly believe this is his masterpiece. I know I'm bordering on blasphemy, but, for me, it's one of the only films in his oeuvre that truly has something to say. Modern Times commentary on the depression is far more frank than anything that is said in The Gold Rush or City Lights. It must be said, that without dialogue is still falls far short of something like The Grapes of Wrath.

The Year in Movies: 1936

   1936

Number of Movies I've Seen: 3

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  0

Oscar Winner:
The Great Ziegfeld - (PICTURED ABOVE) What an absolute chore to get through...   I thought about turning it off at the blackface, but it was followed by a pretty impressive musical number. I was wrong. No real beginning, middle, and end, and an editor who is completely asleep in the cutting room. I guess I get why people dug this in 1936 having pretty direct nostalgia to the "follies", but it isn't a very good movie.

Box Office Winner:
The Great Ziegfeld 

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. Swing Time - I'd really like to make this one my favorite of the year, but I just can't bring myself to celebrate blackface. That's right... 2/3 of the movies I've seen from 1936 include minstrelsy. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are the best of all time at what they do, I just wish the movies surrounding their dance numbers were better.

3. The Great Ziegfeld 

Best of the Year: 1926 - The General

 

Not my favorite from Keaton, but certainly his favorite. Like most of his films, this one is worth it for the stunt artistry alone.

The Year in Movies: 1926

  1926

Number of Movies I've Seen: 3

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  0

Oscar Winner:
Didn't exist yet...

Box Office Winner:
Ben Hur: A Tale of Christ - I'm not sure why people obsess over this story... Jesus' actual story is much more interesting. Alas, I skipped this one.

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. The Adventures of Prince Achmed - (PICTURED ABOVE) This movie is unlike anything you've ever seen before. It feels almost disrespectful to say that it is paper cutout animation against a lit screen because it is so much more alive than that. I'll be honest, I'm not 100% sure of the story, but the visuals are dazzling enough and it is free on youtube so you have no excuse!

3. The Son of the Sheik - I guess this one is better than the original... I just need more comedy and artistry in my silent films and less sexual assault that passes as erotic entertainment.

Best of the Year: 2015 - Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

 

Sorry for the delay in the post. I just really was hoping to find a way to rewatch this one first. Alas, it isn't streaming anywhere and that is a real shame. This movie is an absolute gem. Do not miss the chance to watch it. Probably one of the most honest movies about teenage awkwardness while at the same time adding just enough fantasy to hook a fool like me. It really is a shame that none of its three lead actors have blown up over the last half decade...

I'm leaving this one a bit open because I plan on returning to it when I get a chance to watch again!

The Year in Movies: 2015

  2015

Number of Movies I've Seen: 65

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  ended in 2011

Oscar Winner:
Spotlight - Quite possibly the blandest best picture winner of my lifetime. This movie is fine.  Just fine....

Box Office Winner:
Jurrassic World - This was a pretty fun reboot that doesn't tarnish the original property's reputation and remembers to be fun.

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. Room - Heartbreaking story carried by near flawless performances from Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay.

3. Brooklyn - (PICTURED ABOVE) Another movie that could've taken a dive into ho-hum melodrama if not for the measured performance of Saoirse Ronan.

3. The Martian - Rarely does a book get translated to the screen this well. Ridley Scott and Matt Damon stay out of Andy Weir's way as they bring his fun sci-fi novel to life.

4. The Danish Girl - This was just the year of great performances. Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander absolutely nail the married couple who's love transcends the norms of heterosexual coupling.

5. The Big Short - I am so glad Adam McKay shifted from silly for no reason (Talladega Nights, Anchorman) to silly for the cause (this and Vice).

6. The Good Dinosaur - The most underrated Pixar movie. I honestly believe it is only forgotten because it was released in the same year as Inside Out and everyone had prematurely anointed that one as a masterpiece and didn't want to take it back.

7. Dope - Criminally underseen tale of "nerdy" yet cool high schoolers getting caught up in a drug deal. You won't regret this one.

8. Truth - Dan Rather will always be my newscaster. Depending on your political persuasion, this is the tale of his downfall or how he cemented his legacy as a beacon of truth. I think it's pretty clear which side of that debate I am on.

9. Bridge of Spies - Hanks and Spielberg just doing what they do. 

10. The Hateful Eight - .Tarantino's best screenplay. I'd love to see a stage production of this one day.

Best of the Year: 2005 - Brokeback Mountain

 I've started writing this entry (and deleted it) three times now... The problem I am running into is that I felt like I captured my feelings about this movie so well in 2011. Time hasn't really changed my opinion of this movie much. It remains one of the most heartbreaking love stories of the new century.

The Year in Movies: 2005

 2005

Number of Movies I've Seen: 86

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  18

Oscar Winner:
Crash - I haven't seen this movie since I saw it in theaters. I remember liking it a bit. However, I will never forgive it for defeating the best movie of the year for the top prize.

Box Office Winner:
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith 

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. Why We Fight - Quite possibly my favorite documentary film of all time. It is only right that my second favorite movie from 2005 would be a doc because it was truly the year of the documentary. 2 more movies on this top ten are documentary features and there were many more that barely missed the list including Grizzly Man and Murderball. Why We Fight is an examination of the military industrial complex in the modern United States. It is a scathing takedown of our last great export.... war.

3. Serenity - A cinematic ending to the greatest single season of television ever.

3. Happy Endings - Every once in a while a movie comes along that I love but everyone else hates. This would fit that category. I think it may have something to do with Maggie Gyllenhaal.

4. 49 Up - I've already talked about Michael Apted's epic documentary series, but I think this is its best entry so far. It is astounding how much the subjects have changed and many of their "stories" are very surprising.

5. Imagine Me & You - An excellent twist on the romantic comedy that probably came out a half-decade too soon.

6. Rize - (Pictured Above) Every once in a while a non-professional can catch lightning in a bottle with the perfect concept. This is David LaChapelle's only movie. He is an artist who dabbled in making music videos when he decided to make a documentary about south central LA "crump" dancing. It is a blast!

7. The Devil's Rejects - I don't usually like horror, but something about this one really works for me. Rob Zombie's meld of southern rock and the gruesome Firefly family make for a very enjoyable guilty pleasure.

8. Junebug - Welcome to the world of cinema Ms. Amy Adams. Your presence will be celebrated for years to come!

9. Me and You and Everyone We Know - Miranda July doesn't make enough movies! This was her first and 15 years later I am waiting for an affordable stream for her third movie (Kajillionaire)

10. Manderlay - You probably won't like this one. Lars von Trier is an acquired taste. Not everybody can pull off a period drama about the last days of a slave-populated plantation filmed on a black soundstage with minimal sets.

Best of the Year: 1995 - Before Sunrise

 

I noticed this was on HBOMax last week and couldn't resist it. Probably my 5th or 6th viewing. This movie is perfect. I like it more every time I watch it. It is quite possibly my favorite of all time. So many perfect scenes and exchanges that I forget them between viewings. The "listening booth" scene is easily my favorite 45 seconds of any movie, but this viewing reminded how great the first kiss was.

This may have been my longest post of the original blog. 

Jesse & Celine forever.

The Year in Movies: 1995

 1995

Number of Movies I've Seen: 40

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  7

Oscar Winner:
Braveheart - I probably need to watch this one again. As it stands, it was pretty forgettable outside of the "speech".

Box Office Winner:
Batman Forever - I remember really liking this one at 14. I thought Val Kilmer was quite an upgrade from Michael Keaton. What can I say? I love Batman, but there has never been a great live-action adaptation.

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. Mallrats - (Pictured Above) I've spent quite a bit of time with this movie between rewatches, Kevin Smith podcasts/standups, and commentaries. It is imperfect, but so much fun. Jason Lee really saves the movie from itself by perfectly capturing the genius, underachieving loser that we all know and sometimes love. 

3. Friday - This movie birthed modern meme culture. Change my mind...

4. Kids - Larry Clark is a creep. Still, his is a creep that makes darn near perfect movies that capture teenage life on the extremes of society. This movie is tough to watch, but essential viewing.

5. Toy Story - This one gets a bit too much love in my opinion. It doesn't crack my top 5 Pixar movies, but it is essential because it birthed the studio that would come to dominate animation, storytelling, and great films for at least two decades.

6. The City of Lost Children - I wish this movie was easier to find. I would love to watch it with Abby. Jean-Pierre Jeunet has always been one of my favorite directors, and this film found him in early "let's tell a weird modern fairy-tale" mode.

7. Welcome to the Dollhouse - Easily Todd Solonz's most accessible film. Dollhouse tells the story of a bullied junior high student who copes with her life in peculiar ways. This is another I would love to rewatch, but isn't available anywhere at present.

8. Apollo 13 - A perfectly crafted real-life space thriller from Ron Howard that steps back and let's Tom Hanks, Ed Harris, Gary Sinise, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Bacon reenact one of the most dramatic moments in US history. The story doesn't require much because it is so downright interesting and truimphant.

9. Whisper of the Heart - Brian would be upset if I didn't include his favorite movie of all time on my blog. Japanese students fall in love through their love of reading. Yup, sounds about right.

10. Empire Records - I'll be honest. This one has always felt great to me, but I really don't remember much about it.

Best of the Year: 1985 - Back to the Future

  

No joke... this is quite possibly the most perfect screenplay every written. There isn't a moment wasted. Every line, every shot, every scene is constructed in such a way to propel the plot, create empathy for the characters, and engage the viewer. This is all within a framework of time travel which may be one of the most complicated formats for fiction. Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd pull of one of the best "buddy" relationships in movie history. A movie so good they couldn't even screw it up with sequels, video games, or a Saturday-morning cartoon series.

My post in 2010.

The Year in Movies: 1985

 

1985

Number of Movies I've Seen: 11

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  2

Oscar Winner:
Out of Africa - Quite possibly the blandest best picture winner I have watched. I didn't really dislike it, and it was really pretty, but wow what a snoozefest. Robert Redford deserves better.

Box Office Winner:
NEXT POST!

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. The Goonies - I nailed this one in my original blog, but this one will always hold a very special place in my heart. From my Facebook post on my sister's birthday this year:  35 years ago my daddy took me to my second movie in the theater. It was at the Plaza movie theater in Kinston (near where Big Lots is now). We watched The Goonies. Since I was only 3 years old (almost 4), I don’t really remember much about it the experience that day. However, I do love how my Dad lights up when he tells about how I fell out of my chair laughing during the “training wheels” scene. Of course, thanks to the wonders of home video, I have come to love that movie. 

I often wonder why my dad decided to take me to the movie theater that day....  seems like something else was happening around the corner at Lenoir Memorial Hospital....   something really life-changing....   hmmmmmm....  maybe it’ll come to me.  

3. The Breakfast Club - I need to rewatch this one with Abby. I haven't seen much from the brat pack, but I remember really liking this one.

4. Explorers - I've been digging Ethan Hawke since days of underoos. This movie wasn't as good as I remembered, but its still fun for River Phoenix, Hawke, and aliens.

5. The Color Purple - Another one I haven't seen in a very long time. Maybe one of the least talked about and yet not forgetten movies from Spielberg.

6. Spies Like Us - I remember loving this as a kid. I am in desperate need of a rewatch.

7. The Purple Rose of Cairo - I get it. It's about being in love with the movies. I am there for it. That's me. And yet.... I just don't buy the attraction. The fictional movie isn't very good (certainly not as good as "Top Hat") so I don't understand why Farrow's character is so entranced by it, and there is nearly no chemistry between Daniels (either version) and Farrow. This is especially puzzling because I have found Woody to be such a master at getting me to believe unconventional attraction (to a fault maybe...).

8. Day of the Dead - Probably my least favorite of the Dead films, but I admit, I have only seen it once. Definitely trying to talk Abby into a Romero-fest!

9. Clue - I saw this one only recently and it's cute. The multiple endings are a neat trick.

10. Follow that Bird: The Sesame Street Movie - The Goonies may have been a formative theater experience for me, but this one will always be my first. Thanks to my Grandmama Becton for taking me and nurturing my love of film. She passed away a few years ago, but there are still so many movies I wish I could talk about with her. 

Best of the Year: 1975 - A Boy and His Dog

 In the far-flung future of 2024, Don Johnson (the boy) and his telepathic dog Blood navigate a nuclear wasteland, get abducted to be used as sex slaves for an underground bourgeoisie, and observe a mind-bending trippy view of the future that could only be dreamed up by one such as Harlan Ellison. You probably shouldn't watch this movie.... Somehow my dad recommended it to me and I was awestruck. I'm pretty sure he must have misremembered much about it's content. 

You may ask, "Will, how can this be your favorite movie of the year in a year that gave us One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Jaws, and Monty Python?" My answer: the ending of this movie made my jaw drop farther than anything in those movies.

...you still probably shouldn't watch it though...

The Year in Movies: 1975

 1975

Number of Movies I've Seen: 12

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  0

Oscar Winner:
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - (PICTURED ABOVE) Story time! I was blessed to be in the honors college at East Carolina. One of the perks was getting first pick of classes for each semester. My wizened advisor Dr. Newton suggested I sign up for more classes than I wanted and then drop back to my desired number of hours after attending the first class or two. So for half-a-second I contemplated a political science major. Spurring this decision was the class "Politics in Film". Wednesday nights throughout the semester the class would watch a movie and discuss. I was psyched. The first movie was Cuckoo's Nest. It was my first viewing and I was ready when the professor invited discussion. After sharing my thoughts about the themes of freedom and bondage, I was met with stares of confusion. The class then proceeded to break the film down as strictly an allegory about political systems. I then learned that a 10-12 page paper would be due each week. I grabbed the list of films, dropped the class, and rented most of them at East Coast Music & video at my own leisure.

Box Office Winner:
Jaws - This one might mean more for me except for a couple of factors: 1. I saw it relatively late in life. I was probably in college for my first viewing. 2. I love the water, and a rubber shark isn't going to scare me away from it. Maybe if I had been born 10 years earlier or if I was set up a bit different when it came to "fear of nature", I would appreciate it more. As it stands, Jaws doesn't crack my top 10 favorite Spielberg films...

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 

3. Grey Gardens - What an absolute trip of a movie. Sometimes when you meet or hear about strange or interesting people, you may think, "I wish I could be a fly on the wall at their house!" This movie grants that wish. Although the subjects know they are being filmed, their genuine nature completely removes the camera from the room.

4. Cooley High - I guess this is known by some as the "black American Graffiti". And while there are plenty of similarities this is definitely a bit less funny and a bit more real. So much "hip-hop" culture in this I'm surprised it doesn't get a bit more credit and attention.

5. Jaws 

6. Monty Python and the Holy Grail - Monty Python is another very popular sector of nerd culture that I am just not 100% on board for. This movie has its moments, but too much of it borders on cringe humor for me to fully enjoy. Give me Mel Brooks any day over this.

7. The Rocky Horror Picture Show - So I finally sat down and watched this one all the way through this week. Meh... It still makes me want to see a live showing one day though!

8. Love and Death - Second-tier Woody Allen for me. Pretty forgettable. I'm sure I would like it more if I was a Russian literature nerd.

9. The Apple Dumpling Gang - I honestly don't remember much about this one other than enjoying it as a kid. It's on Disney+ though, so I may give it a spin soon.

10. Nashville - I recently watched Short Cuts (giving Robert Altman one final chance) and really liked it. I didn't get this one. Too much noise and not enough sound for me.

The Year in Movies: 1965

 1965

Number of Movies I've Seen: 2, yup... only 2. I got about half way through Akira Kurosawa's Red Beard, but that will have to wait for another blog on another day.

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  1

Oscar Winner:
The Sound of Music - This movie is a cinematic massage. Every moment feels comfortable, familiar, safe, and wholesome. It soothes every nerve and scratches every itch. I'm not sure it contains an imperfect moment. Every song hits just right, the unlikely romance is played perfectly, and Julie Andrews oozes charm out of every pore in her body. Also, I am required to say (especially since I neglected to do so in 2010) that "My Favorite Things" is still not a Christmas song.

Box Office Winner:
The Sound of Music 

My Top Ten:
1. The Sound of Music

2. Doctor Zhivago - It's pretty. If Lean was going for tone poem set against the backdrop of the Communist revolution, he came pretty close for me (and nailed it for most if reviews are to be believed). Still, it falls short of his other epics because it is missing any heart. Nothing approaches Peter O'Toole's passion as D.H. Lawrence or William Holden's steely-eyed determination as Shears. I need more "Why?" The characters' actions lack even the tiniest bit of motivation in a time in Russian history that was rife with motivation. As I said....It's pretty.

Best of the Year: 1955 - All that Heaven Allows

.. 

In 2002 I was at the height of my movie watching experience in that I pretty much saw everything that was released. If you remember from my posts from that year, Far From Heaven was my favorite of the 92 movies I saw that year. All of the reviews I read remarked that it was Todd Haynes' tribute to the films of Douglas Sirk. Having never seen a film from Sirk, I added his most famous films to my watchlist. Unfortunately, it took me nearly 20 years to see one. After watching All that Heaven Allows, I certainly will seek out more of Sirk's films. 

Rock Hudson is an absolute snack. This is a love story as beautiful as its cinematography. That window shot.... It's just jaw-dropping.

The Year in Movies: 1955

 

1955

Number of Movies I've Seen: 5

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  2

Oscar Winner:
Marty - Feels like a really solid 1950s sitcom episode stretched to feature length. Borgnine is excellent and the film is good, but I just don't get how anyone thought this was the best movie of any year.

Box Office Winner:
Cinerama Holiday - So this sent me down a pretty interesting rabbit hole about "Cinerama", a three-projector, three-reel movie system with a curved screen that created a more immersive theater experience. This movie was the second one produced using this method, and I haven't seen it (or any movie presented in "cinerama" for that matter). It's pretty interesting though that the highest grossing movie of 1955 was a travel documentary.

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. The Seven-Year Itch - This was almost my number one of the year. Marilyn Monroe was an embarrassingly overrated culture icon, but a grossly underrated actress. Her ability to pull off the ditzy-seeming blonde with a brain was near perfection. No film is more emblematic of this unfortunate dichotomy than this one. The famous "skirt" still from this movie takes away from what it has to say about relationships, feminism, and fidelity. Here's my review from 2010.

3. Lady and the Tramp - This is possibly my favorite of the "classic" Disney animated films. It is beautiful to behold and has a adventurous romance that is at the same time unbelievable and relatable. Skip the "live-action" remake though because they cut out the beaver who is definitely my favorite secondary character. Unfortunately, I didn't have much to say in 2010.

4. Rebel without a Cause - I am in desperate need of a rewatch of this. I remember really liking it, but it definitely hasn't stuck with me.

5. Marty

Best of the Year: 1945 - Mildred Pierce

 

Veda Pierce is the devil... and also a representation of everything that is wrong with valuing money above all else.

This movie is really good, too bad about that title... Feminism, murder mystery, and a heaping dose of what makes classic Hollywood great. I urge you to seek this one out if you haven't seen it.

The Year in Movies: 1945

 1945

Number of Movies I've Seen: 2 

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  0

Oscar Winner:
The Lost Weekend - This isn't a bad movie by any means, but it sure is a downer. Billy Wilder wants you to know alcoholism is bad. I hear you Billy.... I hear you.

Box Office Winner:
The Bells of St. Mary's - Going My Way was the Oscar winner from 1944 that I said I haven't seen yet (but I wasn't in a hurry because, you know... Bing Crosby). This is the sequel. 'Nuff said.

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. The Lost Weekend

Best of the Year: 1935 - A Night at the Opera

 

I am an optimist when it comes to criticism. I feel like art is always improving and that you can find our best music, movies, comics, and visual art in modern times. I lamented earlier this week to a student that the two genres of pop culture that seemed to me to break this rule are hip-hop music and comedic film. Just like I don't think modern hip-hop comes close to the best of the mid-90s, I don't think comedic film comes close to what these brothers were doing almost a century ago.

Duck Soup is probably their best film, but this one will always be my favorite. The musical performances and story just match-up so well with the mad-cap antics of Groucho, Chico, and Harpo.

Of course it was on my original list.

The Year in Movies: 1935

 

1935

Number of Movies I've Seen: 2 

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  1

Oscar Winner:
Mutiny on the Bounty- (PICTURED ABOVE) I was a bit surprised how much I enjoyed this movie. Clark Gable is a more than adequate hero and, dare I say it, quite a bit more likable here than in Gone with the Wind. Charles Laughton provides the blueprint for aristocratic villain for decades to come. It's also pretty sexy for a naval movie or a flick from 1935.

Box Office Winner:
Mutiny on the Bounty 

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. Mutiny on the Bounty 

The Year in Movies: 1925

 1925

I've put it off long enough. I promise I have started Battleship Potemkin multiple times and just haven't been able to finish it... Oh well, my first single movie year in review:

Number of Movies I've Seen: 1

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  0

Oscar Winner:
didn't exist yet

Box Office Winner:
The Big Parade - "The story of an idle rich boy who joins the US Army’s Rainbow Division and is sent to France to fight in World War I, becomes friends with two working class men, experiences the horrors of trench warfare, and finds love with a French girl."  Sounds interesting and is definitely on my watchlist.

My Top Ten:
1. The Gold Rush - (PICTURED ABOVE) If you've followed me at all, you know that I am not a huge Chaplin devotee. It isn't because he was a terrible human being (which he was). It is just that his movies don't connect with me as much as Keaton (and, later, the Marx Brothers). I probably liked this one the least of his three films on the AFI top 100 (Modern Times and City Lights being the other two). Chaplin's comedies gain their power from the heart. The "dinner roll" dance is cute, but it is also overwhelmingly sad because the love interest is unreasonably mean. What can I say? Technically groundbreaking, critically disappointing.

Best of the Year: 2014 - Interstellar

 Who would've guessed? If you base your science fiction in actual science, you could make quite possibly the greatest sci-fi movie of all time! This isn't just my favorite film of 2014, it's my favorite of the new millennium. It weaves a story of intergenerational love into a fabric of hard science-fiction so effortlessly that the viewer is transported to this new future along with the characters. It almost feels like a docudrama about what actually happened rather than a futurist film about what might. Matthew McConaughey nails it as well and serves as a perfect guide to this strange new world where time bends and human love knows no bounds.

The Year in Movies: 2014

 2014

Number of Movies I've Seen: 61

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  didn't exist yet

Oscar Winner:
Birdman - Probably in a close race with 1917 for the best "one shot" movie ever made. This one is a bit better in my opinion though because of the riveting performances from Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, and Edward Norton.

Box Office Winner:
American Sniper - This movie sickens me. I have already spoken on it at length.

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. When Marnie was There - (PICTURED ABOVE) Easily my favorite of the "non-Miyazaki" Ghibli films. This was actually my favorite movie of the year until I finally got around to seeing the #1 film. I would actually recommend this to non-anime fans. Just a beautiful tale of love, loss, and perseverance.

3. Boyhood - Linklater's masterpiece filmed over 12 years. It is something to behold. I envy you if you get to see it for the first time.

4. Selma - Ava DuVernay captured something unique with this tale of the civil rights movement. She chose to focus on the personalities of those involved in the fight rather than the details of their struggle. We get to know these famous heroes rather than see outlines of their plight.

5. Chef - With Iron Man, The Mandalorian, and indie hits like this Jon Favreau has quietly positioned himself as one of the greatest actor/directors of the modern age. This one is not to be missed.

6. The Imitation Game - I'm surprised how much I've forgotten about this movie. It really hit me hard in 2014, but I haven't really thought about it much since..... huh....

7. Infinitely Polar Bear - This is one that fell through the cracks. Mark Ruffalo gives an impressive performance as a father struggling with bipolar disorder. Definitely seek this one out if you missed it.

8. Guardians of the Galaxy - What can I say? Probably the coolest comic book movie and with a heart as big as a planet.

9. Big Hero 6 - Did you know that this is a Marvel movie? Now you do. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

10. Top 5 - Chris Rock is a highly underrated director. This film and I Think I Love My Wife are underrated gems.